This evening I begin masking and prepping the canopy frame for paint. I also rigged up a support for the canopy frame so I can flip it over and paint both sides without having it rest on something. I brought back one of the 2x4 stands I made to support the tail cone during its construction. By putting a grabber through the bushing on each side of the canopy pivot attachment point I am able to flip the canopy frame over from side to side. By inserting a dowel in the latch tube I am able to support the rear bow with the frame in a nearly horizontal position. Then, by flipping it over and suspending it with a wire I am able to have the other side of the frame on the top so I can easily apply the paint to that side. I masked the ends and sides of the frame and left the front bow and a small vertical strip on each side where the bow is welded to the framework. I then applied a coat of black hammertone paint. This is the same paint with which I am painting the instrument panel. Since the front bow is next to the instrument panel when the canopy is closed I thought it would look good to have them painted the same.
While I am painting the interior finish on the canopy frame I will be redoing the scratched surfaces of the cockpit interior. These scratches are on the rear roll bar and the longerons.
